Different Postharvest Treatments and Storage Conditions for Shelf-life Enhancement and Quality Retention of Litchi

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is a highly perishable and delicate fruit.Browning of pericarp and physiological loss in weight are the paramount problems associated with storage of litchi.This study was carried out to extend the shelf-life of litchi by applying different postharvest treatments and to evaluate the effects of these treatments on physiological and physicochemical characteristics of litchi during storage.The different treatments given to the fruits were -control (untreated), precooling, hot water treatment (HWT) of 55 °C for 12 min, HWT + 1.5% nitric acid (HNO 3 ) for 10 min, HWT + 1.5% HNO 3 for 10 min + 2% calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) for 15 min, and HWT + 1.5% HNO 3 for 10 min + 2% CaCl 2 for 30 min.The treated fruits were packaged in paper boxes (4% ventilation) and 4% perforated polyethylene bags (165 gauze) and stored in cold condition (4 -5 °C, 85 -90% relative humidity).Sulfite (300 mg sulfur/kg fruits) treated litchi fruits and untreated fruits (control) were also stored in the similar fashion for comparison.The various quality parameters of the fruits viz., physiological loss in weight (PLW), browning index, spoilage, pH, total soluble solids (TSS), ascorbic acid, and acidity were determined.The results indicated that the litchi fruits treated by HWT + 1.5% HNO 3 for 10 min + 2% CaCl 2 for 15 min and stored in cold condition were acceptable even after 28 th day of storage.The effect of packaging material was not significant during cold storage.It is concluded that this treatment may successfully be employed as an alternative to sulfitation for enhancement of shelf-life and maximum retention of quality of litchi fruits.